The present invention is directed to a new conditioning composition that is esthetically acceptable to consumers, improves the wet combing and dry combing properties of hair, and also leaves the dry hair with satisfactory cosmetic and physical properties, including, in particular, dry combing and feel, less hair coating, manageability, body, condition of the ends and set.
Effective clear conditioning compositions have been difficult to formulate because conditioning compounds used in clear conditioning compositions often have a relatively high water solubility and are too easily rinsed from the hair. Formulators of clear conditioners have tried to overcome this by solubilizing water insoluble ingredients such as dialkylquats and dimethicone, but these compositions being highly solubilized have not been effective either. Therefore investigators have sought compositions incorporating a conditioning compound that provides a clear composition yet is not easily rinsed from the hair.
The present invention utilizes water-soluble ingredients that surprisingly are not easily rinsed from the hair, that attach to the hair and condition the hair, providing superior conditioning benefits.
Hair conditioning compositions, such as emulsion-type creme rinses, are well known in the art for improving the combing properties of wet hair and dry hair. These conditioning compositions typically are aqueous emulsions including a cationic compound, like a quaternary ammonium compound, as the principal conditioning agent. Prior patents describe the quaternary ammonium compound either as a polymeric material having a plurality of quaternary nitrogen atoms per molecule or as a molecule having at least one long carbon chain and an average of one quaternary nitrogen atom per molecule. The prior patents also describe hair conditioning compositions as including silicon-containing compounds, substituted amides and amides, nonionic surfactants, long carbon chain alcohols and esters, and other ingredients to facilitate composition formulation and enhance consumer appeal.
For example, Cella et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,744 discloses that cationic compounds, such as quaternary ammonium compounds, and silicones can be combined with perfluorinated compounds to provide hair treatment compositions. The silicones specifically disclosed by Cella et al. are nonionic surfactant-like polyoxyethylene polymethylsiloxanes that apparently are water-soluble or dispersible.
Matravers U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,433 discloses a clear conditioning composition comprising an aqueous blend of a polymeric quaternary ammonium salt, ethoxylated lauryl alcohol, ethoxylated cholesterol and hydroxyethylcellulose.
Ben Janchitraponjev U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,335 discloses a clear conditioning composition comprising a quaternary ammonium compound, an amidoamine, a volatile conditioning agent and a solubilizing nonionic surfactant.
Nachtigal et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,055 discloses a pearlescent hair conditioner composition including a quaternized tertiary amidoamine, a quaternary ammonium compound and, optionally, a tertiary amidoamine, i.e., stearamidoethyidiethylamine. The composition of Nachtigal et al. is directed to achieving a stable pearlescent effect and neither includes a silicone compound having at least one quaternary ammonium moiety nor is the composition a clear conditioning composition.
Wagman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,037 discloses a hair conditioner composition comprising a polydimethyl cyclosiloxane, a quaternary-nitrogen containing conditioning agent having two long alkyl chains of twelve to eighteen carbons and two short alkyl chains of one or two carbon atoms, a long chain fatty alcohol and a tertiary amidoamine.
Ziemelis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,964 discloses a cationic polyorganosiloxane that is substantive to protein substrates. The disclosed cationic organosiloxanes are emulsifiable and are used to treat hair.
Ben Janchitraponjev et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,685 discloses a method of imparting improved conditioning properties to hair comprising treating the hair with a clear conditioning composition comprising specified amidoamine salts.
As will be demonstrated more fully hereinafter, a conditioning composition of the present invention, comprising a silicone compound having at least one quaternary ammonium moiety and ethoxylated monoalkyl quat imparts improved conditioning properties upon application to human hair. Therefore, the condition of treated hair is improved by a method of contacting the hair with an aqueous conditioning composition comprising a silicone compound having at least one quaternary ammonium moiety and ethoxylated monoalkyl quat. A composition of the present invention can be applied to the hair from an aqueous carrier at ambient temperature and is allowed to contact the hair for a relatively short time to provide the benefits and advantages of a hair conditioner. Consequently, the method and composition of the present invention condition the hair to provide more manageable and esthetically-pleasing hair.